


Troublesome as Ever

by SassySnowperson (DramaticEntrance)



Series: Lyra Lives [1]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, In which I work out my frustrations with the fridging of Star Wars Mothers, Lyra Erso Lives, M/M, Mother-Daughter Relationship, POV Jyn Erso, Rating Change due to discussions of violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-13 19:22:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14754794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticEntrance/pseuds/SassySnowperson
Summary: On the storm-torn plains of Lah'mu Lyra Erso has a blaster and a choice. Fight, try to kill the man that is tearing their family apart. Hide, and ensure her daughter’s safety.She chooses to hide, and the universe changes.Lyra’s hands smoothed over Jyn’s hair, down her shoulders. “Wobani was a tricky one to pull you out of, Darling. Took me longer than I’d like.”Jyn stepped back, offering a small smile to her mother. “I knew you’d come. You always do.”“I’m still displeased that you got caught in the first place," Lyra said with a faint smile of her own. “I taught you better than that.”A reimagining of Rogue One, featuring Lyra Erso.





	1. Jailbreak

**Author's Note:**

> Well, friends, this one has been a long time in coming. I've had the idea and plot for _over a year_ now. After Bodhi Lives this was the first real universe I created. This one fought me more in its development, but I think we've got a solid story here, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you. 
> 
> [Aeshna](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeshna/), thank you for your enthusiasm with the universe, your longsuffering patience as I worked this story out, and the beta, without which this story would have a great deal more mistakes. 
> 
> And for the rest of you, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the ride!

* * *

The transport truck pitched back and forth, a shaking that would almost be soothing were it not for the shackles around Jyn’s wrists, the chain connecting them to the floor, and the company she was keeping. Jyn kept her face neutral and her eyes on her fellow passengers. 

There was the shifty human, likely been on Wobani at least six months, might start trouble to maintain the pecking order. There was her cellmate, a round aquatic-looking being with a waterfall of tentacles where her mouth should be. She had threatened to kill Jyn the other day; Jyn was nearly certain she was joking. She stayed wary regardless. And of course, the two stormtroopers, their armor far more battered than the polished uniforms seen in the major cities. 

Jyn wondered if the blast-scarred armor was earned by the troopers that wore it, or just inherited due to a lack of supplies. Earned, and she was dealing with hardened combat veterans. Inherited, and they were undertrained and undersupplied outcasts. The latter was more likely, but better to assume the former. Less chance of underestimating them. 

Either way, Jyn wasn’t staying on Wobani for long. They’d get sloppy with her transport soon enough. And even if they didn’t...she had other options. 

Jyn’s reverie was interrupted by a sudden jolt as the vehicle skidded to a stop. The two troopers in the back straightened and grumbled. They tried their comms, which nobody answered. They debated the reason for the stop. And then, after a truly impressive amount of thumb twiddling, one of them eventually opened the door and stepped out. 

Right onto a landmine, from the looks of it. The blast of the explosion forced the back of the truck up, it hung in the air for a moment before slamming back down to ground again, jarring Jyn’s teeth. The trooper fared far worse. Dirt and armor and bits that Jyn would rather not think about showered their way back into the transport. The other trooper dove for cover then brought their blaster up, tracking back and forth. Seemingly finding nothing, they eventually decided to move, leaning out to carefully check the ground. 

Blaster fire seared precisely between the helmet and neck joint and the trooper fell, lifeless, tumbling out of the transport. 

That was the end of the guards. “Clear!” Jyn called, as loud as she could. 

A moment passed, then a slight human woman swung her way into the back of the transport, silhouetted against the light. “Really?” The woman picked her way toward Jyn, carefully avoiding any grabby prisoners and ignoring the shouted questions that came her way. “Wobani? An Imperial labor camp? Couldn’t make it easy on me, could you?”

Jyn held her wrists up toward her. “Come on, Mum, you’d get bored with too easy.” 

* * *

Jyn kept her speeder tight behind Lyra’s as they flew down the road. Road, in this case, referring to the patch of dirt that was slightly flatter than the other patches of dirt. They seemed to be heading towards a spaceport, but Jyn was fairly certain that wasn’t their actual destination. Not with those massive hills off to the left. 

Sure enough, as the road wound next to the hills, Lyra made a tight turn down a gully, Jyn a split second behind her. They were both careful with their speeders for the first hundred meters or so, staying away from the sides of the wall to not leave marks in the dirt or stone. Harder to track. 

They twisted their way into the barren hills, Jyn relaxing already. She and Lyra had set up enough wilderness camps over the years that even though it had never been _this_ place with _these_ hills, there was a rhythm to the approach that felt familiar. Dodge to the left wall, snare on the right, swing over the rock, explosives on either side. Path heads uphill, height means advantage, means seeing any hunters coming. 

Barely half an hour out of chains, Jyn followed Lyra through a slim opening in the hill, barely wide enough to fit the speeder. It was a relief when the narrow passage widened into a cozy-looking room. 

Jyn had just finished tucking her speeder into a corner when Lyra’s arms went around her, squeezing tight. Jyn tipped into Lyra’s warmth and made a happy noise of contentment. “I’m fine. No injuries aside from a few blisters. No interrogation, just a couple weeks of labor.” 

Lyra’s hands smoothed over Jyn’s hair, down her shoulders. “I’m glad. This was a tricky one to pull you out of, Darling. Took me longer than I’d like.” 

Jyn stepped back, offering a small smile to her mother. “I knew you’d come. You always do.” 

“I’m still displeased that you got caught in the first place.” Lyra walked over to one of the packs leaning against the cave wall, rummaged through it and tossed a foil-wrapped package at Jyn, who caught it and started tearing at it with her teeth. “I taught you better than that.”

Jyn settled down against the cave wall as she drank the nutrient-rich slurry. Labor camps never fed you enough food. “I knew it was dangerous going in. But I had to.” 

“There was nothing in the building that was worth risking your life, Jyn.”

“It was a link to Papa, you know it. The records in that facility have personnel files for half the Empire. If we can figure out where they’re holding the scientists for the Tarkin Initiative…” 

Lyra looked sad. “I know. We will. I promise, Darling, we will get him back. But I’m not willing to lose you to do it.” 

“It’s been thirteen years…”

Lyra crossed the room and knelt in front of Jyn, taking Jyn’s face between her hands. “I know. I miss him too. But you’re what I’ve got left, Baby Girl.” Lyra pressed a kiss to the top of her forehead. “Thank the Force your identity held. It was a great deal easier to break Liana Hallik out of prison than it would have been to free Jyn Erso.” Lyra gave a wry smile. “On the upside, you probably would have figured out where Papa was.” 

Jyn snorted. “I’m not keen to find out that way.” She and Lyra shared a smile. Jyn looked around the room. Condenser was up and running in the corner, a pile of rations next to it. “You have a ship here, or are we sneaking our way aboard an outbound ship?” 

Lyra settled down on the floor, stretching out. “Sneaking. No good place to hide a ship long-term here. Unfortunate, but we’ve got food for a couple weeks—”

“Good sniper positions…” Jyn added.

Lyra nodded. “Traps and alerts set up—”

“Out to the kilometer marker on all the major access points?” 

“And another alert along the main road.” 

“Sounds like I can sleep easy.” Jyn gave her mother a tired smile. 

“You can, Darling. Bedroll’s in the pack. Rest up, I’ll keep watch.” 

Jyn pulled out the bedroll, dragging it over to where her mother sat and rolling it out. She felt a little silly as she huddled up next to her mother’s thigh, back pressed along Lyra’s leg. It had been a long, exhausting couple of weeks, and she wanted the physical reminder that her mum was around. She wriggled a little, settling in closer. 

Small tremors began to run through her as the adrenaline that had kept her going finally began to bleed out. Lyra’s hand came down and stroked her hair, Jyn melting into the touch. She and Lyra were together. Things were...almost perfect.

“Mum?”

“That’s not sleeping.” 

“I know…” Jyn’s voice went soft and she felt much younger for a moment. “Tell me about him?” 

Lyra’s hand stopped and just pressed against the top of Jyn’s head. “You haven’t asked for that in a while.” 

Jyn gave a little hum as she butted her head up against Lyra’s hand. With a chuckle, Lyra resumed her gentle petting. Jyn smiled. “He’s just been on my mind lately.”

“Understandably so,” Lyra said, and took a breath. “Papa loved Pija Berries. They were only good in the fall, though. It didn’t matter where we lived in the galaxy, I swear those berries knew when the changing of the season came. They lost their sourness, tasted like pure sunshine. Now, Papa had an uncanny instinct of knowing when _exactly_ the berries were ripe.” 

“He’d come home with a whole bushel full of the best berries we ever tasted,” Jyn filled in the next line. Jyn felt the echo of a taste on her tongue. She couldn’t know whether it was a real memory or just manufactured by desperation. 

She wondered if she really remembered anything: his voice, his touch, the stories he’d tell. It had been so long. Yearning to see him again hit her, as strong as it had ever been. It was the one thing she was sure hadn’t faded with the years.

“Yes. Baby Girl, he’d feed you so many berries you got sick. I always told him not to, but he wasn’t able to deny you anything. Not when you asked with your eyes all big and...” 

Jyn drifted off to sleep, her mother’s story tucking her in. 

* * *

Jyn woke to a gentle nudge. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up. Lyra was holding out a blaster, a serious expression on her face. “We’ve got some sort of a commotion along the main road.” 

“Prisoners taking advantage of the distraction?” Jyn asked. Once they were clear of the vehicle, Lyra had tossed the shackle release into the middle of the truck. They'd left before they discovered the outcome of that mad scramble. 

“Doesn’t feel right for that. Might be trouble.” 

Jyn grunted, pushing to her feet and grabbing the blaster. She reached into the pack, rummaging until she found a camouflage blanket. “I think I saw a good perch to the north coming in.” 

Lyra nodded. “I’ll take the north-west.” 

A short speeder-trip and a quick hike later, Jyn was able to settle herself into position without too much trouble. She draped the camouflage over herself and slowly belly-crawled up to a view of the main “road.” She settled into the sniper's stillness to watch. 

What she was watching was...unusual. It seemed to be a standoff between a small squad of Imperials and another squad of...someone else. It wasn’t the gaggle of prisoners with stormtrooper armor and blasters she had been half-expecting. This group seemed to be more paramilitary. Hired contractors? Hired contractors might explain why there was a clearly Imperial droid with them. But it didn’t explain why the Imperials were shouting at them to stand down. 

Jyn focused her scope in on the group.They were an odd bunch, mismatched uniforms providing few answers. Minimizing her movement, she quietly activated her comm twice. After a second, three short bursts of static came back, and Jyn started talking. “Got any idea what we’re looking at?” 

“No. They’re too well-equipped to be prisoners, even assuming a coordinated escape after we left.”

“And too poorly-equipped to be Imperials. I want to know more.” 

“You don’t need to know more. They’re a distraction. That’s good for us.” 

Jyn shifted a little, trying to get a better look at whether or not the odd group wore any insignia patches. None she could see on the first one, but the droid still had Imperial identification on his shoulder. Jyn shifted her scope up, and found that the droid was looking right at her. She started. As she kept her scope on the droid’s head, one of the droid’s eyes blacked out, then came on again. 

Okay. 

That was strange. Imperial security droids didn't wink. “You see that?”

“How in the galaxy did he see you? Doesn’t matter. Get out of there.” 

Jyn braced for the droid to draw attention to her, use her as a distraction to get away. She mentally started plotting the best route back down the mountain...there was a gully she could hide in. 

But the planned-for betrayal didn’t happen. The droid looked away again, the two groups kept arguing. But as the confrontation proceeded, the droid shifted, causing the people around him to shift in turn, causing the whole group to edge out of even partial cover...

Her comm crackled to life. “Is the droid...setting up a shot for you?” 

“Looks like. I—”

“Jyn. Don’t.” 

“I’m going to shoot the Imperials.” 

“That’s a bad plan.” 

“I don’t think so.” 

“Fine.” Lyra sounded resigned. “On my mark. Three, two, one…” 

Jyn fired. Her target went down. 

She lined up the next mark, fired. Another down. 

A second between the shots, two shots each, four down before the Imperials had the chance to react. As they started turning, shouting and raising weaponry, the droid lunged forward, picking up one trooper and throwing them into another. 

Then everything exploded in a brief flurry of blaster fire and, less than five seconds after the first shot, the entire Imperial squad was down. 

The droid turned to the hill that Jyn was perched on and loudly announced, “Jyn Erso. This is a rescue.”

Jyn muttered, “You’re kriffin’ right it was,” and began to pick her way down the mountainside. 

Lyra sighed through her comm. “I suppose you’re going down to meet them?” 

“They know my name. I’ve got to know why.” 

“You always did have more curiosity than common sense,” Lyra said, and Jyn could hear the fond smile through the comm. “See you down there. I’ll cover you.” 

* * *

Jyn emerged from the underbrush at the base of the hill and started walking toward the group.

“Good. I’m glad we found you. Get over here and we’ll get you off this rock,” said a man in an all-weather hat that seemed to double as an elaborate comms system.

Jyn looked at the droid, who looked at her. They both seemed to make the mutual decision to ignore comms-hat-man. 

She stopped a little ways away from the group, kept her gun in a loose hold. “So. What’s your story?” she asked, moving toward the downed Imperials. 

“I am K-2SO, this is Sergeant Melshi," said the droid, gesturing at comms-hat-man. "We are with the Rebel Alliance. We came here to rescue you. But we were foiled in our attempts by the fact that you have already been—What are you doing?”

She was looting corpses. That should have been fairly obvious. She didn’t bother responding and rifled through a downed Imperial’s pockets. She picked up an identification key, a credit chip and a spare blaster pistol. As she tucked them away and moved on to the next body, she asked, “So did you have a plan beyond getting shot?"

“Is now really the best time to be discussing this?” Melshi asked, looking back down the road.

"We have a shuttle." K-2SO opted to continue ignoring Melshi. 

Melshi gave a sharp turn toward the other Pathfinders. “Alright, fan out, watch for hostiles while we apparently sit down and have a nice chat in the middle of our rescue mission.” 

Jyn raised an eyebrow at Melshi’s back. It wasn’t really much of a rescue mission. She returned to going through a pack. "Okay, shuttle, we need one of those. Could be useful. Where's the shuttle headed? Oh!” Jyn couldn’t quite help the happy noise when she found a full explosives kit in the pack, including grenades. She pulled it out.

"Back to Rebel Alliance headquarters, so you can be offered a job. If the other sniper was Lyra Erso, she can have a job too. We are interested in both of you. You were just the one that got thrown in jail."

"Don't rub it in." Jyn gave a small smile, pulling out a grenade and tossing it up and down, keeping her body posture casual. "So what if I don't want to go on your shuttle? What happens then?" 

"Well, the original plan involved dragging you in against your will, but clearly we need to revise that. You are dangerous and now full of explosives."

Jyn’s smile turned into a grin. "Alright, let me talk to Mum."

Jyn walked away from the group, keeping the grenade in one hand, turning her comm on low in the other. “They’re Rebel Alliance.” 

“Makes sense.” 

“They have a shuttle, willing to give us a ride. To the Alliance headquarters.” 

“They have no good reason to know our names.” 

“I know. Unless they know about Papa.” 

“...you want to go with them, don’t you.” 

“If it makes you feel better, it might actually be safer than hijacking our own ship later.” 

“So long as they don’t throw us in a cell as soon as we get there.” Lyra’s voice went dark.

“Mum. Please. We can handle a _cell_.”

Lyra chuckled. “Fair point. Alright, fine, let’s see what the Rebellion has to offer.” 

* * *

There was some posturing as Lyra emerged from the bushes herself, also very obviously armed. There were dark mutters about whether or not the two loose cannons should be allowed to keep their weaponry. Lyra made a noise that strongly resembled a growl and pulled her blaster closer. 

“The two people who took out an Imperial squad get to keep their guns,” K-2SO ruled.

“I am still actually leading this mission,” said Melshi, who just sounded resigned by this point.

“There will likely be combat on the shuttle approach, due to your premature prison break.” 

Lyra made a disgruntled noise at the same time Jyn said, “Mum wasn’t premature, you were late.”

K-2SO gave a bit of an electronic “humph” before continuing. “In any case, we should prepare for conflict.” 

The two of them hashed out a quick combat plan that basically amounted to, ‘Blow things up then shoot people.’ 

“I like it,” Jyn said.

“Additionally, I will handle any troopers that manage to get within melee range.” 

Jyn gave K-2SO a critical once-over. “Can you not use a blaster?” 

“I am trained in strategy and analysis. I am a marvel of combat engineering. Of course I can use a blaster. I simply do not possess one.” 

“Well, that’s idiotic.” Jyn picked a blaster off of one of the trooper corpses. “Here.” 

K-2SO hesitated for a second, looking over at Melshi. 

That man sighed. “I knew I should have forced Andor along. We’ve already got two civilians providing sniper fire.” The man gave an irritated glance over at Jyn and Lyra. “We might as well arm you as well.” 

K-2SO took the blaster. “Don’t worry, Sergeant Melshi. I am certain Captain Andor would approve of my negotiating tactics.”

Melshi opened his mouth, then shook his head. “Let’s get moving.” 

* * *

Two grenades rolled under two separate shuttles. Jyn held her breath, listening hard at the soft metallic rolling, the tension filled wait until—

Nearly in unison, the two shuttles lit up in magnificent pillars of plasma and fire. The stormtroopers guarding the landing pad yelled and swung their blasters around frantically, as the Rebellion squad poured out from cover and into the landing pad. Jyn settled in with Lyra, picking off trooper after trooper from a distance as the spaceport exploded into chaos and violence. 

K-2SO was phenomenal, shooting tight angles, taking out two troopers at once, firing behind him and disabling a trooper without looking. 

“Don’t see why the Rebellion didn’t arm him sooner. That was a dumb decision,” Jyn muttered to Lyra as she lined up a shot on the control tower, shattering the transparisteel barrier. 

“He’s terrifying.” Lyra sounded a little amused as she followed Jyn’s shot with her own, eliminating the traffic controller. “Please tell me you can recognize that he’s terrifying.” 

“He’s on our side.”

“I have...” Lyra paused to adjust her aim, shooting at a puddle of fluid on the ground. It burst into flame, managing to engulf two troopers and singe a third. “...completely failed to instill a proper sense of self-preservation in you.” 

“Well, I’m alive.” Jyn lined up a shot on the singed trooper, eliminating him before he could get his blaster back up again. “You clearly haven’t _completely_ mucked things up.” 

There was a noise behind them and Jyn turned around. Three large tank-like trucks were barrelling up the road. “Ah. Time to go. Reinforcements are nearly here.”

Jyn scrambled out of hiding, ducking and dodging her way to the shuttle. Lyra was barely a pace behind her, covering their retreat. Jyn slung her sniper rifle across her back and switched to the blaster pistol she had pulled off of the trooper. She managed a couple more shots as they ran. 

Jyn couldn’t help the slightly feral grin on her face as she scrambled her way across the landing pad, smoke and laser fire filling her sight, chemical char in her nose, her body an instrument under her control as she leapt and ducked and returned fire. So much of Jyn’s life was waiting and watching that when it finally came time to act, she finally felt _alive_. She skidded into the shuttle with a triumphant shout, Lyra a step behind her, shoving her out of the line of fire of the doorway. 

Jyn threw a wild grin at Lyra, who had her own sharp smile on her face. Her voice warm and bright, Lyra said, “You absurd thrill-seeker.” 

Jyn leaned back against the shuttle wall, enjoying the feeling of her heart pounding in her chest, the adrenaline in her limbs. “I blame my mother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story! It's a been a labor of love for a long time, and I'm excited to finally be sharing a bit of it with you. :D 
> 
> Do feel free to stop by and say hi, [I’m on Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sassysnowperson)


	2. Rebellion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Two! Thanks continues to go to [Aeshna](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeshna/), for both the beta, and the steadfast encouragement that is making this project actually turn into reality.

* * *

A knot of anticipation settled in Jyn's chest and refused to budge as the shuttle set down in the Rebellion base. She and Lyra had walked into more dangerous places, but never as exposed as they were now. These people knew her name, knew some of her history. Was going with them really the right call? 

The shuttle door opened to a warm bunker full of noise. Jyn twitched, eyes darting from place to place as she tried to learn the room. There were so many people, walking and jogging and running, forming into little groups before splitting off again. Voices rang over intercoms, droids trundled by, and the Rebellion soldiers walked casually through the chaos, clearly at home with the noise and the crowded quarters. 

Jyn did her best to match their stride, at the same time keeping her eyes and ears open, half braced for an attack. Lyra’s presence at her right was a comfort, her body relaxed and her expression decidedly unimpressed. Jyn, however, had known her mother long enough to read her stress, echoing Jyn's own. Too many people, far too many to keep track of. Someone could attack them at any minute. 

Maybe they should have just stayed in their cave. 

They were escorted to a doorway, what looked like a command center beyond, when they were stopped. A dark-haired man stepped out of the shadows and, interestingly enough, addressed K-2SO. “Before they go any further, they need to be disarmed.” 

Jyn took a step back, hand hovering protectively over her hip blaster. 

K-2SO looked over at her. “That is going to be difficult, Cassian. Maybe we should meet in the hallway, instead.”

The man gave the droid a vaguely surprised look. “This isn’t a negotiation.” 

“It isn’t a firefight, either. Which is what it might turn into if you try to strip us of our weaponry. Lyra Erso,” Lyra cut into their conversation, holding out her hand. “We came here as guests and expect to be treated as such.” 

Jyn managed to keep her posture neutral. Whenever Lyra broke out her command voice it always made Jyn’s spine want to straighten. Jyn just hoped it inspired the same sort of deference in their hosts. 

“Captain Cassian Andor.” Andor took Lyra’s hand, his voice matching hers tone for tone. “You are welcome here, but as a matter of security, we must ask you to remove your weapons.” 

Jyn tried to edge her way to the outside of the group. If things got ugly she didn’t want to be trapped in the middle.

Before she could get too far into thinking through the angles of the impending fight, a third voice cut through the conversation. “You have my personal guarantee that no harm will come to you so long as you act in good faith. If you are not satisfied with our offer after our meeting, you will be free to go and take your weapons with you.” 

Lyra’s posture changed, abruptly disregarding the man in front of her in favor of fixing her eyes past where Jyn could see. “Senator Mothma.” 

“Not a senator any longer. As I’m certain you’re aware.” A woman dressed in white moved into view, a regality to her bearing that could only come from good breeding, good acting, or the certainty of power. From the way Lyra’s posture changed, Jyn was willing to bet it was the third. 

Lyra undid the strap to her blaster rifle, handing it over to Andor. “Go ahead, Jyn. They have reason to be wary.” 

Jyn leveled an angry glare at the nearest soldier as he stepped forward to take her weapons, deliberately walking over to K-2SO before handing him her blaster rifle. And her spare blaster pistol. And the explosives in her pack. Actually, just her whole pack.

She didn’t turn over the knife she had tucked in her boot. It barely counted as a weapon, really. 

After Lyra disarmed, she stepped past Andor, entering the room. Jyn followed a step behind her. Nobody moved to stop them. 

Lyra regarded the former senator. “I’m not certain if you’re aware, but we’ve met once before.” 

Mothma nodded. “We both wore different names then,” She turned to Jyn, “and you were quite a bit younger.” 

Jyn shifted, giving an awkward shrug of acknowledgement. 

“She came to Saw’s hideout once while we were still with him,” Lyra explained. “Trying to tame him enough to make him suit the Rebellion.” 

“Imagine that went well,” Jyn muttered.

“Saw fought loyally with us for a long time. But his methods are extreme and he broke away. I understand you had already left by that point.”

Lyra gave a tight little smile. “Yes. We didn’t stay with Saw very long. Apparently having a husband in Imperial custody made us too much of a risk.”

Jyn remembered very little of Saw Gererra. He had been a friend of her parents, before, and had been kind enough while they had stayed with him. But she remembered the edges of a fight between Saw and her mother, remembered watching the Partisans she was just beginning to trust leave them in the wilderness. 

She remembered the hunger and cold, afterward. She remembered crying when Lyra had killed a sandhare, then crying again when the soup was set in front of her and she realized her hunger outweighed her horror. 

They had learned to survive, the two of them. But it hadn’t been easy.

Mothma gestured them forward. “Yes, both Saw Gererra and Galen Erso are a part of the reason I asked my team to find you. Or rather, find Jyn, and hope to find you as well. I’ll let General Draven explain.”

Mon Mothma ushered them around the edges of a circular display table. A middle-aged man with thinning blond hair sat across from them, exuding an aura of stern grouchiness. “When was the last time either of you had contact with Galen Erso?”

“My husband was taken from Lah’mu thirteen years ago. I have not seen him since.” Lyra’s face hardened, set in firm lines. 

Jyn was surprised to see the General looking over at her. “I haven’t seen him either.” 

“And what do you think he’s been up to all this time?” 

Jyn didn’t answer first, looking at Lyra. Lyra didn’t twitch, simply saying, “I’m rather more curious what you think he’s been doing.”

“I would imagine so,” came a voice from behind them. Andor stepped around the table. “After all, you wouldn’t want to admit family ties to a known tool of the Imperial war machine.”

Jyn made a sound of protest—and immediately recognized her mistake. It was too late, Andor pivoted to face her. “You disagree?”

His tone was condescending and it crawled under Jyn’s skin. “I doubt your sources,” she snapped.

Lyra chuckled, defusing the situation, a quiet reminder for Jyn to keep her head. As the eyes of the room shifted back to her, she said, “Of course we’ve been keeping tabs on Galen. I presume you have as well. So then you must know how little information is out there. I highly doubt you have intel we don’t.”

Andor and Draven exchanged a long look, before Draven nodded, once. Cassian said, “There’s an Imperial defector on Jedha. A pilot. He claims the Empire is building a superweapon. One that can destroy planets. He claims he was sent by Galen Erso.” 

Jyn’s body came to alert with that, heart pounding, legs tensing, hands vibrating with the need to do _something_. She and Lyra had been hunting Galen for more than a decade. This was the first sign he had been reaching back. That pilot might know where he was. They _had_ to find him. She needed to _know_.

As Jyn watched, some of her mother’s hard lines softened, the muscle at the corner of her eye twitched, and a tremor moved through Lyra’s hand. Lyra wanted this as much as Jyn did. 

When Lyra spoke, it was careful. “If that's true, it's a lead I'm very interested in following up on.”

“I thought you might be.” Draven leaned forward, the light of the console causing stark shadows to grow on his face. "We are willing to make a deal. You tell us what you know, about what your husband has been up to, and we will permit you to come along to meet Saw Gererra and make contact with the pilot."

A small smirk grew on the side of Lyra's face. "You need me anyway. Saw wouldn't let any of you through the door. He was paranoid when he kicked us out, and the years have only strengthened that particular trait."

"Have you maintained contact with Saw Gererra?" Andor asked.

"Minimal. We've written a few letters over the years. It's difficult to maintain a cordial relationship with a fanatic. He'd know me, though. And he'd let me in. Especially if the message is from Galen." 

"So, you want us to invite you along on a classified operation based on nothing more than good faith?" Draven’s brow furrowed.

"No," Jyn spoke up. "You know we want to find out what happened to Galen. We know you need a way in with Saw. We both want the pilot's information. Our mission objectives line up. We've already shown good faith by disarming. You're just pushing for more information for free."

"He is the representative of the Rebellion's Intelligence forces. It's his responsibility," Mon Mothma cut in, her calm voice providing an air of authority to the proceedings. "However, your fundamental understanding of the situation is correct. We ask that you join our forces in this mission.” 

Draven gave a disgruntled grunt, but did not contradict Mon Mothma. She cut a glance over at him, before continuing, “We would also request that you consider sharing any intelligence you have gathered on this weapon. It is not only a threat to the Rebellion, it is a threat to the galaxy, and we must work together to defeat it. It is to that end that we hope to find Galen Erso and allow him to testify before the Senate." 

Lyra looked at Jyn. Jyn nodded, still trying and failing to keep all of the desperation out of her face. Lyra turned back toward Mothma and Draven. "We would be happy to be your introduction. As for the information...I'll consider it. Let's get the pilot back and see how well we work together."

* * *

"Good, you're coming along," K-2SO said as she walked into the U-Wing. "Cassian didn't want you to, but I informed him you were proficient in combat situations." 

Jyn nodded to the droid. "Glad to see you too. It's good to know that _someone_ who can handle themselves is around." 

Cassian made a disgruntled noise from where he sat in the cockpit, performing pre-flight checks. 

K-2SO looked over at him. "In fairness, Cassian is also proficient in combat. And lying. He is very good at lying." 

"No kidding," Jyn murmured, glancing at the shock of dark hair. 

"Ignore him," Cassian said, sounding irritated. "It's a side-effect of the reprogram. He just says whatever comes to his circuits." 

"It was a compliment. Lying is vital to many of your missions. It's a valuable skill." 

"That it is. And it's always good to know what skills your allies have." Lyra settled into her seat, and her voice had a certain edge to it.

Jyn sympathized with her sharpness. She could count on one hand the number of times they had worked with somebody else on anything even remotely important. Sitting in a shuttle they weren’t piloting on a mission they weren’t planning felt profoundly unnerving. 

"Kay, up here with me," Cassian snapped back at them.

K-2SO went, utterly unphased by Cassian’s bad mood. Jyn suspected grouchy was Cassian's default setting. Still, he seemed tenser since he had been pulled aside by the General before boarding the U-Wing. Jyn wondered why. Maybe he didn't get along well with his boss.

* * *

By the time they reached Jedha, Jyn’s vague feelings of anxiety had grown into a siren alert inside her. Things were wrong. Her only weapon was a slim blaster pistol, her normal rifle left behind for discretions sake. Lyra had left behind her rifle too. Even more dismaying, they had also left behind K-2SO. They were walking into a warzone and not bothering to take the most effective soldier they had. 

"He'll draw attention," Lyra had said, and that was that. 

K-2SO and Jyn had shared a frustrated look as they left. Well, she assumed K-2SO's look was frustrated. It was...a little tricky to tell.

But the lack of droid and lack of weapons were minor concerns when compared to the looming Star Destroyer shadowing the city, the regular patrols sweeping through the streets. Jyn kept her head down and her eyes moving. The people here were upset, restless.

"We're a spark away from a riot," Jyn said under her breath, mostly to Lyra. Cassian heard. "You're right," he said, sounding a little surprised. "This town is ready to blow. We've got to move quickly.”

Lyra didn’t answer right away, sidetracked by a translucent holo of a young man, some text written below it. She slid her path over in front of it, slowing just enough to get the information off of the holo. She returned to Cassian and Jyn a moment later. “That’s the young man we’re looking for,” she said in a low undertone. 

“The pilot?” Cassian said.

Lyra gave a soft grunt of affirmation. “His name is Bodhi Rook. He’s from Jedha.” Lyra looked perturbed. “That means he knows the area. Maybe knows the people. If he’s hidden, we’re going to have a miserable time finding him.”

“I doubt he managed to escape the Partisans. We’ll go to the temple. I have a Partisan contact there. We'll give them your names and hope.” 

"Hope?" Jyn scoffed. 

"I was _hoping_ for a more comprehensive plan than 'hope.'" Lyra pressed closer to Jyn as they moved through the crowd.

"Rebellions are built on hope," Cassian said. His tone was light, tiny smirk at the corner of his mouth that made it sound like he was joking, but Jyn heard the truth that ran underneath it. This was something Cassian believed. 

Strange. Jyn found herself curious about this man. He seemed to hold himself apart—wary and self-contained, but he delivered a line like, 'Rebellions are built on hope,' and it felt like it meant something.

Jyn pulled herself back to the present. Lyra had wandered a short way off, and was standing in front of a blind fortune teller of some kind. Jyn came in and caught the fortune teller asking Lyra, "Would you trade your necklace for a glimpse of the future?" 

Jyn's hands clenched. That necklace was all they had left of her father. How dare he ask Lyra to—

Lyra made a soft noise. "I have no need to see my future. To know the future is to limit the will of the Force. I choose to trust the Force, to follow its path." 

The fortune teller leaned forward, suddenly much more focused on Lyra. From behind him, there came a grunt, a giant of a man with a blaster to match suddenly shifting. 

The fortune teller spoke. "I'm Chirrut Îmwe. And I thought I knew all of the faithful on Jedha." 

Lyra smiled. "I'm not from Jedha. And I'm not certain if I count as faithful, anymore. But I remember enough to respect those who wear the Guardian robes." 

The man behind Chirrut spoke. "There are no Guardians, anymore. Nothing left to guard." 

Jyn was curious what Lyra would have said next, but Cassian was there and he was hurrying them along with harried impatience. Jyn's memory of her mother’s faith was fuzzy, comforting rituals and words spoken over bedtime. After Galen had been taken, Lyra muttered things to herself, but never shared them with Jyn. As the years had worn on, even the muttering had gotten less frequent. 

They had lost a great deal, when Galen was stolen from them. It seemed like whatever faith her mother had had was yet another thing taken. Most days Jyn was able to ignore the loss. But right now, with a fresh lead so close for the first time in ages…Jyn found their losses felt sharper. 

Cassian kept his head down, moving them along with light touches at their elbows. "We need to hurry. Things are getting worse and—" He went silent as they stumbled across a parade of stormtroopers, two neat white rows escorting a tank, spewing propaganda as they went. 

Jyn felt something change in the atmosphere. She was already looking around when she heard Lyra's quiet mutter. "Sniper. Bridge." 

Jyn moved even as she looked, shifting so there was cover between her and the bridge, pulling Cassian along with her. Lyra vanished down an alleyway.

Cassian spluttered at her, "We need to keep—" 

A grenade sailed from a nearby building and landed in front of one of the tanks. They were well outside of the blast radius, but Jyn pulled Cassian a little closer on instinct. The grenade exploded, then a chorus of lasers burst out from around them. 

"New plan," Jyn said, pushing Cassian away from the fight. "See if we can keep from getting involved." 

"Obviously." Cassian looked around. "Where's Lyra?" 

"Getting high ground. She'll cover us." Jyn took out her blaster pistol and moved as she spoke, carefully working her way away from the central conflict. 

"You do this often?" Cassian asked as he drew his own blaster.

"We try to avoid becoming embroiled in local conflicts, as a rule." 

Their escape route was blocked by a wall. Jyn looked at it, considered climbing. Not a lot of good footholds - doable, but would take too long. They’d be vulnerable the whole climb. Better to work back to the outskirts of the fight, find another way around. She turned to head back towards the commotion, found that Cassian was already turning too. It seemed that he had made the same calculations. 

Maybe she could work with him. 

As they approached the central conflict again, there was a branching path off to the side. Jyn was about to turn down that alley when she heard a different sort of scream, a small child crying. She looked up, saw a girl, no more than four, frozen in fear in the middle of the conflict. 

Jyn moved. 

She distantly heard Cassian shout behind her, “Jyn, _no_.” Jyn hoped that he and Lyra would bond later over how little effect those words had on her. 

Jyn’s awareness narrowed into quick combat thinking: grab the girl, tuck and roll into something resembling cover, body shielding the child. Watch the direction of blaster bolts, find Lyra’s cover fire. Hand the child off to the screaming woman who was clearly the child’s mother. Cover their retreat. 

Jyn abruptly realized her maneuvering had left her exposed. She looked up, saw a squad of stormtroopers alongside her and, on the bridge above her, a partisan ready to hurl a grenade that would likely take her out too. Before she could get her blaster up, two bolts drove into him, one from Lyra’s cover, one from Cassian's.

The grenade dropped harmlessly away from Jyn. She used the distraction of its explosion to dodge away from the stormtroopers. She fought her way to the periphery again, just in time; an armored AT-ST started blasting the central marketplace. Cassian caught up with her, throwing a hand on her back as they ran together down the alleyway. 

They nearly ran straight into a squad of stormtroopers. Cassian shoved her into cover, diving into his own across the alley. Jyn pulled out her blaster and tracked it down to her left, firing. Cassian's fire joined her own, and after a brief exchange, the squad was down. 

Jyn was definitely warming up to the idea of fighting alongside Cassian. She tossed him a feral grin, received a rather stunned expression in return. Cassian apparently still needed some time to get used to fighting with her. 

They pressed forward, over the trooper corpses. A KX-model security unit suddenly rounded the corner and Jyn's blaster went up, but she couldn't fire—it might be Kaytoo. 

It wasn’t, she learned as the unit charged her, too quickly for Jyn to react. Blaster fire flashed out from the alleyway behind her, hitting the vulnerable neck socket. The KX droid’s ocular sensors flickered out and it collapsed. 

K-2SO rounded the corner behind the other unit, hands up. "Remind me to never make Lyra Erso angry." 

"Smart droid," Jyn said. "So, you decided you couldn't bear to leave me behind." 

"It was boring and there were far too many explosions for three people trying to blend in." 

"The explosions were not my fault." 

"Somehow I doubt that." 

"It's because you've known her more than five minutes." Lyra slid down from the roof she'd been sitting on, landing on the ground with a slight bounce. With a tug, her rope detached and retracted back into her belt. "Come on, we should keep moving. Do you think your contact is still at the temple?" 

“We are trying to find the Partisans, correct? I know where the Partisans are,” K-2SO said. “There were a number of them shooting stormtroopers when I walked in.” 

Jyn chuckled. “He makes a good point.” 

As one, Lyra and Cassian said, “No, he doesn’t.” 

Jyn turned to K-2SO. “Look, they’re bonding!” 

“They’re bonding over a shared belief that I am wrong. This is not a positive development.” 

Cassian hefted his pack higher on his back. “We should continue to the temple. Let’s go.” 

“Baby steps,” Jyn informed K-2SO seriously as they continued on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you continue to enjoy! 
> 
> Want to talk with me about the universe? [I’m on Tumblr!](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sassysnowperson)
> 
> [I'm also giving Pillowfort a try!](https://pillowfort.io/sassysnowperson) Come say hi if you're over there.


	3. Fracture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Aeshna](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeshna/) gets all the love for her wonderful beta, and also, in this chapter, for helping me problem-solve a tricky bit of dialogue. You're the best.

* * *

They rounded the corner too quickly.

Cassian, Jyn, K-2SO, and Lyra had been flying through the alleys and backways of Jedha, trying to make it to the temple without running into any more stormtroopers or Partisans. Both sides seemed to be concentrated behind them, blaster bolts heard in the distance, some heavy machinery stomping around. 

Lyra and Jyn spread out in their usual hunting pattern, Lyra pushing forward and taking point, Jyn hanging back and covering the rear. Their companions did not seem to understand this basic point of combat strategy. Cassian kept trying to push ahead and K-2SO kept hanging back with her. If they kept working with these two, they were going to need to figure out how to move more effectively. 

The realization that she was actually considering a future where she worked with someone that wasn’t Lyra stunned Jyn. Since Saw left, it had been Jyn and Lyra against the world...the idea that there might be another option was... 

If they actually got her father back— 

No. Her brain backed away from the maelstrom of hope and fear that accompanied that particular thought. It was too overwhelming to contemplate. 

Of course, if K-2SO didn’t stop hanging back and drawing attention to her position, she might just shoot him before their companionship turned into anything more than fuzzy thoughts. It seemed Lyra was thinking the same, pushing forward in a rush to keep ahead of Cassian. But she moved too quickly, and there, in the clearing in front of them, was a downed ship, surrounded by a full squad of stormtroopers. 

Jyn just barely managed to throw herself a few stumbling steps back and out of sight before the other three were seen and quickly questioned. She strained her ears as she crouched behind the wall.

“Droid. Where are you taking these prisoners?” 

Jyn was hopeful, for a second. K-2SO could just spin a story, and they’d be able to literally walk out of there.

“These are prisoners. I am taking them to be imprisoned. In prison.”

Maybe it was time for plan ‘B’.

Jyn, heart pounding, moved further away from the group. If she could get to higher ground, she could take down...five, maybe six, before they sighted her position. Not great odds, but the best they had right now. Jyn found a small condenser unit parked outside a low roof, and started to work her way up. 

She wanted to rush, but this sort of work needed to be done slowly. _Don’t scare the prey. Don’t let them know you’re coming._ Jyn slowly eased herself up over the ridge, gripping her pistol. She wished, now, that she had fought harder in favor of bringing her blaster rifle. That would make this next bit easier. 

Jyn wasn't certain what she expected to find after less than two minutes of careful maneuvering. It certainly wasn’t that blind fortune teller from earlier walking into the middle of a squad of stormtroopers like he belonged there.

Nobody else was expecting it, either. The man walked forward, tapping his staff against the ground, and by the time the troopers raised their blasters, it was too late. They had let him get into staff range. He struck, and the battlefield descended into chaos.

Jyn tightened her grip on the blaster, following Lyra, K-2SO, and Cassian as they darted away from the whirling combat, ducking behind some nearby crates. 

With them in relative safety, she started looked back over the battlefield, trying to see if any troopers seemed inclined to shoot in their direction but it turned out the blind man was a very effective distraction. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much else Jyn could do. She had a position and targets, but her weapon was designed for short range. She could compensate for that, but the man moved too unpredictably, she didn’t know his patterns. If she took a shot, she’d likely end up hitting him. There really wasn’t much to do aside from admire his style.

In an impressively short span of time, the stormtroopers were down and the man was still standing, uninjured. Jyn resisted the urge to applaud. 

Just as well; from somewhere beneath her she heard the pounding boots of another squad closing on their position. Jyn swore under her breath. She wasn’t in a good spot to help with this new threat. 

Her eye was caught by movement across the battlefield. From behind the rubble the blind man's friend stepped out, massive blaster spinning up. Bolts flew out, rapidfire, passing bare centimeters from his friend. Reckless. And yet…

Silence fell. The man had just taken out an entire troop with one barrage. 

These two were impressively dangerous. 

“You almost shot me!” the man with the staff said, rounding on his friend, indignant. 

Jyn felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. Dangerous, effective partners. Jyn understood felt a certain kinship with them. 

One of the troopers started to push their way up again, and Jyn took the shot, landing a blaster bolt to the back of their head and they slumped back down again. The man with the blaster, who had been tracking down to the moving soldier, abruptly brought his gun back up, tracing along the roofline to find Jyn’s location. 

Jyn stuck her hand up, fingers in the ‘Okay’ position. Hoping that her gesture was clear, she eased her way out of cover. The man lowered his blaster canon and Jyn gingerly picked her way off the roof. 

She jumped from roof to awning to wastebin as K-2SO made his way out from cover. “Clear of hostiles,” he said, clearly stunned despite the limited vocal range of his voice. 

Jyn could relate.

The blaster canon lifted again, pointed at K-2SO. The droid stumbled back, his arms up. “One hostile!” 

Reacting on instinct, Jyn threw herself off the wastebin, managing to get in the way of his blaster. “He’s with us.” 

There was a tense moment of standoff, then the blaster dropped. Jyn breathed an internal sigh of relief, promptly followed by a brief but intense session of internal panic. There was no good reason to risk herself for these strangers. She had a more important mission, she needed to look out for herself... but it had been unacceptable to just let K-2SO get shot.

Jyn pushed her perturbed thoughts aside and made her way over to where K-2SO was helping Cassian remove his binders. She arrived just in time to hear Cassian say, “Get back to the ship, keep her warm.” 

“You’re sending him away again! Why do you keep wanting to remove our most valuable fighter from a war zone?” 

“He stands out and he can’t lie,” Lyra said, all practicality, rubbing at her own newly-freed wrists. 

“I can lie.” K-2SO folded his arms.

“Not well,” Cassian said, looking as close to affectionate as Jyn had ever seen him, “and you know it.” He turned back to Jyn. “I have a feeling we’re going to need to get out of here quickly. Someone needs to ready the transport. Unless you’re volunteering…?” Cassian arched his eyebrow at Jyn. 

Jyn took a defensive step closer to Lyra. 

“Thought so,” Cassian muttered. 

As K-2SO jogged off in the direction of the U-Wing, Jyn watched Lyra make her way over to where the blind monk sat perched on one of his fallen foes, a move which spoke of a certain sense of ruthlessness that Jyn could appreciate. 

Lyra’s voice was warm as she approached the man. “Chirrut! Fancy seeing you here. Beautiful staff work.” 

Chirrut’s face bloomed into a smile. “Always nice to be appreciated. Besides, I couldn’t let one of the few faithful left be taken into Imperial custody.” 

“I’m still not certain I count as faithful,” Lyra said, shaking her head. Jyn watched her posture, fascinated. Lyra had a measure of respect for the man that Jyn hadn’t seen her mother have for...well, anyone. 

“If the old dreamer still has faith for me,” the man’s friend said, swinging his rifle down to his side, “you're never going to convince him to not believe in you. I’m Baze Malbus.”

“Pleasure, Baze.”

“I have faith in the Force, and it protected me.”

“I protected you.”

“You both protected us,” Lyra cut off their gentle bickering, “and we are grateful.”

“We need to get moving,” Cassian said to Jyn in a low undertone.

Jyn nodded over at him. She stepped forward. “Do you know where the Partisans are?” 

Before she got an answer, there was a shout from the side of the square, and from all directions Partisans poured in, guns drawn. “Nevermind,” Jyn muttered.

The Partisans forced Jyn down to her knees, and fear pricked across her tongue, a frantic reminder of Wobani. And this time Lyra was just a little ways ahead of her, calmly standing with her hands behind her head. She cast Jyn a reassuring look. 

Lyra straightened, looking the closest Partisan in the eye. “If you hurt us, I won't be responsible for Saw's response.”

“And how do you know Saw?” the Partisan sneered. 

“Lyra Erso. I'm an old friend. I believe you have a message for me.”

* * *

Jyn was pissed. Being marched blindfolded over cold sand was obviously not her idea of a good time. Being marched through a seemingly endless desert of cold sand, poked and prodded along the way, was even worse. And then, adding insult to injury, at the end of it, the bag was stripped off her head just in time for her to be unceremoniously thrown into a cell. 

Jyn hit the far wall with a jolt, pushing off again in time to watch Cassian try for the exit and be kicked back by guards. The two Guardians were thrown in with them. No Lyra. No sign of Lyra. 

Jyn felt her heart rate pick up. Her hands clenched into fists and she forced herself to stay calm, stay present, think through the problem. Lyra had identified herself, so it was likely that she was meeting with Saw. Saw had abandoned them, but he hadn't harmed them—Lyra was most likely safe. 

Which meant that Jyn needed to consider her own situation. She was in a locked cell. Off to her side, the Guardians softly bickered with each other, something familiar in their back and forth. It sounded like family. It made good background noise as she thought. 

There was a door, and there were guards. The guards were distracted, crowded around a holotable and yelling out bets. They probably wouldn't notice if she started fiddling with the door. They'd notice if the door opened, though. So, quiet for now. There was still a chance that Lyra could still get them all out of there without a fight. 

Still, if they needed to move fast, it would be better if the door was at least unlocked. Jyn reached into her vest, tore one of the seams, and carefully worked her lockpicks out of the liner. She turned towards the door with them in hand, just in time to see Cassian pull a pair out of his boot. She looked from her picks, to his, then up to him, and they shared a small smile. 

Even the small smile softened Captain Andor's face considerably. She edged closer to him, examining the lock on the door. “So, I’ve picked about six locks like these. You?” 

Cassian raised his eyebrows as he looked at her, giving a tiny shrug as he said, “About ten. I wasn’t counting.” 

Jyn nodded. “I should work the door, then.” 

Cassian’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve done this more often.” 

“Yeah, but not by much, and if they catch you fiddling with the door, they might chop your arms off. I’m still Jyn Erso, Lyra and Galen’s daughter.” 

Cassian tilted his head slightly, examining Jyn. He gave a tiny nod. “Alright then. I’ll keep an eye out.” 

Jyn pulled out her picks. “Nudge me if the guards seem like they’re actually going to do their job.”

Cassian chuckled and settled back in the cell, seeming casual, but his eyes were on the room, wary. Jyn knelt by the door and, with one last look at the guards, stuck her hand through the door and started working. 

Most of her concentration stayed on her hands, the feeling and vibration of her picks against the lock. But filtering in through the background was the sound of the Guardians sniping back and forth at each other, drawing Cassian in to their bickering. 

“He’s praying for the door to open.”

“It bothers him, because he knows it is possible. Baze was once the most faithful of the Guardians.”

Baze grunted. “I know it’s possible because someone is picking the door lock right now. If they get through, it’s not the Force, it’s effective tool use.”

“Watch what you say,” Cassian said in an undertone. He didn’t nudge her, though, so Jyn figured she was safe to continue working. With a hiss of static discharge, Jyn felt another magnetic tumbler slide into position. 

“There’s someone in the next cell,” Chirrut said. 

Jyn heard the rustle of Baze standing up to move over to the opening between the cells. She tried not to get too distracted, sliding her finger up and down the slim metal bar to adjust the resonance with the lock.

It was almost impossible to stay focused, though, when she heard Baze growl, “An Imperial pilot! I’m going to—”

Jyn almost dropped the lockpicks right then to rush over to Baze, but she heard Cassian interrupt him, and then start talking to the pilot. 

Jyn grimaced and worked faster. After what was likely half a minute but seemed like an eternity, she felt the last bar latch into place. Jyn kept pressure on the bars, kept the door from flying open automatically. A quick glance around at the guards confirmed that they were happily involved with...whatever their game was. Jyn slowly withdrew her hands into the cell, casually moved away from the bars, and then flew over to where Cassian sat hunched, staring at the gap between their cell and the pilot's. 

The pilot...didn’t look like much. Hollow-eyed and hollow of speech, he was slowly repeating, “I’m the pilot. I brought the message. I’m the pilot.” 

He knew. He knew where her father was. 

Cassian nudged her shoulder. “You’re on the door. Get back to it. I’ve got this.” 

Jyn didn’t take her eyes off the pilot. She reached out with one hand and shoved in Cassian's general direction in return. “It’s done. Unlocked.” She pitched her voice lower, words coming fast and urgent. “Pilot. You came from Galen. You brought the message.”

Slowly, the battered young man turned around and focused on her. “Yes. I brought the message.” 

“Where is he?” Jyn’s voice broke. “Do you know where my father is?” 

As she watched, the pilot’s face changed. He blinked, and the empty expression on his face was replaced by...joy. “Jyn?” he asked. 

“Yes!” Jyn pushed forward, reaching through the bars for the man. “You know me?” 

The pilot raised a shaky hand, clumsily grabbing at hers. “He told me about you. Galen—he didn’t know you were alive but he told me—”

“Is he okay? Where is he?” Jyn struggled to keep her voice calm as she clung to the pilot like a lifeline. Thirteen years, and this was the first sign her father was alive. Alive...and thinking about her.

“Eadu,” the pilot said. “He’s on Eadu.” 

Jyn’s heart pounded and she shut her eyes and looked away. A complicated tangle of emotions was rising in her, and she had to stay focused, had to stay present, but the chance to put her family together again was _right here_. This was as close as she and Lyra had ever gotten. 

Lyra. Lyra needed to know. 

Jyn looked up, eyes seeking out Cassian. “We have to get out of here. Pilot…” Jyn frantically tried to remember the name she had been told, and failed. “What’s your name?”

The man worked his mouth a couple times, the answer seeming to take some effort to emerge. “I’m the pilot...Bodhi Rook. I’m Bodhi.” 

Jyn’s hand tightened on his. “Bodhi, we’re getting out of here, and then we’re going to go get Papa off Eadu.” 

“Yes.” Bodhi said, nodding, seeming more himself the longer they talked. “Yes!” 

Cassian was watching the whole exchange with a guarded expression, deep lines in his forehead as he stared at where Jyn was still clinging to the pilot’s hand. His eyes flickered toward the door. “I don’t like our odds if we have to fight our w—”

The whole catacomb started shaking, Cassian cut himself off as he was distracted by rubble falling from the ceiling and smashing to the floor. Jyn drew her hand back, waiting for the shaking to stop. 

It didn’t. It got worse, building on itself and growing more violent by the second. Screams started then the guards ran out of the room. She and Cassian shared a glance. 

“Time to go,” he said. “I hope you weren’t lying about the door.” 

Jyn huffed. “Please.” Looking back down at the pilot, she said, “Be back in a second.” 

Jyn threw the cell door open with a slight glare at Cassian. His eyebrows arched a little, something like a smirk showing on his face in response to her challenge. Jyn grinned in response, darting her way out of the cell and pulling her picks as she rounded on Bodhi’s. 

“Get you out of there in a flash,” she said. 

She had worked on the lock for all of ten seconds when a massive hand on her shoulder yanked her back. Jyn stared up at Baze, eyes widening as he hefted the gun to point at the cell. “No!” she yelled, trying to get up off the ground fast enough to stop him. “He defected, we need him!” 

Baze shook his head at her, shifted his gun, and shot the lock. The door slid open.

“Oh.” Jyn pressed her lips together. “I suppose that works.” 

Baze chuckled and hefted his gun. Bodhi, with a wary glance at Baze, scrambled out of the cell. 

“Come on. We need to go.” Jyn gestured at the exit. She jogged over to her bag, slightly shaky pilot following behind. 

“We need to get out of here,” Cassian said as he gestured Baze and Chirrut toward the exit. 

“I know, I just—” Jyn hefted her bag and whistled, high and sharp. 

Jyn counted heartbeats as she waited. _One two three four five six…_ , then an answering whistle rang through the corridors and Jyn sighed in relief, and started toward it. 

Cassian protested, “We need to go!” 

“I’ll be there in a second!” Jyn broke into a sprint, whistling again. Another whistle, and she took a sharp left down the hallway. 

There was a yelp behind her and she threw a glance over her shoulder, eyebrows arching as she realized that Bodhi had stumbled after her. She slowed a few steps, let him come jogging up to her. She grabbed his arm and dragged him along, from the direction she heard the sound.

“Are we leaving?” Bodhi asked, as he tried to keep up with her. 

There was a crash, a portion of the ceiling caved in, and Jyn tugged Bodhi closer to her, throwing a wary glance around them. The rumbling hadn’t stopped, shaking only growing more intense, pipes were bursting along the walls and steam hissing out of the.

Jyn tried to move faster without dragging the man to the ground. “Yes, but I need…” Jyn whistled again, and instead of an answering whistle, a figure darted around the corner. 

“Jyn,” Lyra said, grabbing her arms. “We need to go. Saw! Hurry!”

“I have run enough.” A voice Jyn barely recognized, with an oddly musical lilt and labored breathing, filtered down the hallway after Lyra. 

Lyra muttered. “For the love of—We have a shuttle, just _move_!” 

“No. Go, Lyra. May the Force be with you.” 

Lyra swallowed hard. “And with you, old friend,” she called. Quieter, mostly to herself, she added, “Bastard.” With a frustrated exhale she started towards the exit. She looked up and saw Jyn. “We need to get going—” 

She stopped when she saw Bodhi, fixing him with an analyzing gaze. “Who’s this?” 

That joy in Bodhi’s face when he had seen Jyn was back, redoubled. He stammered out, shocked, “Lyra—you’re alive too.” After a moment, the delight slowly faded but Lyra’s gaze remained strangely assessing.

“Oh, look at you,” Lyra said, and her voice was soft. “Of course you’re Galen’s pilot.” 

A flush crept into Bodhi’s cheeks. He looked over at Jyn—a darting glance—then back to Lyra. 

“Yeah, he is.” Jyn stepped closer, demanding her mother’s attention again. “We should keep moving.” 

Lyra tore her eyes away from the pilot. “Yes. We should.” 

The three of them started jogging toward the exit. Jyn let Bodhi get a few paces ahead of them, then said to her mother in a low undertone, “You know him?” 

“I know his type,” Lyra responded. “I’ll tell you about it. Later.” And with that she sped up, throwing herself into a run that swept the pilot along in her wake. 

Jyn sprinted after them. _‘His type.’_ She hadn’t realized that defectors had a certain look about them. She wondered, when they found her father, if he would have that look as well. 

Jyn’s musings turned to static as she reached the mouth of the cave system. Her brain refused to interpret what she saw. There was no holy city. In its place was a wall of dirt, stretching up, up, towering into the sky, the ground leaping into the air, rumbling, heading towards them. 

“Come _ON_ ,” Cassian yelled from ahead of them. Jyn shook herself out of her horror and threw herself into a dead sprint, grabbing at Lyra and Bodhi as she hauled for the ship. Cassian reached out of the open door and pulled her in; Jyn managed to catch herself on one of the chairs. Chirrut and Baze were already in the far corner. Bodhi came next, landing in the corner closest to the door, and Lyra vaulted in after, stumbling over next to Bodhi. 

Cassian threw himself into the cockpit, “Go, _go_!” 

The U-Wing kicked and screeched as it flew through sky that was rapidly becoming ground. Bodhi looked out the viewport once, and with an overloaded shudder forced himself away from what he was seeing. Jyn wanted to do the same but couldn’t. She watched, horrified, as they fought to get away from the ever-expanding cloud of destruction. 

That had been the city. It had been the city, full of people, full of life, and now it was just rubble and chaos. Consuming, devouring, chaos. Jyn shuddered. Her father...had built this? Galen, the kind man she had grown up hearing stories about? The aching hole between Jyn and her mother? The blank space in her childhood? 

Jyn watched the world rip itself apart and realized just how much of her father was constructed story. She looked over at her mother, feeling a numb fury that Lyra hadn’t prepared her, somehow. Hadn’t given her a worldview that could handle this devastation.

The fury evaporated as she saw Lyra’s figure, huddled by the viewport. Lyra hadn’t found a chair, was curled over on herself, arms wrapped around her knees, hand to her mouth as her shoulders convulsed once, then again. Lyra made no noise as she watched the destruction, but quiet tears ran down the sides of her face. 

Jyn wasn’t the only one left unprepared. 

With a jolt the ship jumped to lightspeed, too soon, and yet, if the roiling planet was any indication, not soon enough. Jyn was jolted back against the seat and Lyra was knocked over entirely, stumbling into Bodhi.

Bodhi caught Lyra, steadying her and helping her back to her feet. There was something strange in the way he touched her, the way he looked at her, cautious and caring all at the same time. That strange expression was only there for a second, again, before that hollowness from before swept over him. As Lyra picked her way over to a chair, the pilot's eyes went blank, and he collapsed against the bulkhead in exhaustion.

His exhaustion was echoed in Chirrut's voice. “How much is gone?” For a long moment no one answered him. Jyn clenched her hands into fists, remembering ground surging up like a wave, cresting over the shuttle, solid and liquid and air all at once, but more than anything else, wrong. Whatever had been there before was utterly, utterly destroyed. 

“Tell me,” Chirrut demanded. 

Before Jyn could wonder who he was asking, Baze answered. “All of it.”

Jyn wasn't watching Chirrut, didn't see how those words impacted him. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bodhi flinch. His shoulders sagged, and with a tremble in his hand he reached up and took the goggles off the top of his head. He looked defeated. 

“How could he do this?” Jyn asked, not really meaning to say the words out loud. 

“He didn’t want to, Baby Girl,” Lyra said, reaching over and grabbing her shoulders. “It’s why we left, before.” 

Jyn shook her off, snapping, “I know! You’ve said. But regardless of what he wants, it still _exists_! Jedha’s still gone! There’s no undoing that!” Jyn could hear her own voice rising, hating the hysterical edge to her tone and helpless to prevent it. 

“He told me I could get right by myself.” Jyn was surprised to hear the broken-eyed pilot speak.

“My father?” Jyn asked. 

Bodhi nodded. “He told me...if I was brave. Listened to my heart. I could do something about it. Make it right.” His voice turned bitter as he looked down at the goggles he was turning over in his hands. “Guess it was too late.” 

“No,” Lyra said, pulling something out of her pocket. A dataspike. 

Bodhi’s eyes widened in recognition. “The message.” 

Lyra nodded. “It’s not too late. You got this out. We can make it right. I want—” Lyra stopped herself, looking over at Jyn. “Baby Girl, you should hear this. He spoke to you.” 

Jyn’s eyes widened. She leaned forward in her seat. “What did he say? Can we play it?” 

Lyra looked at their fellow passengers. “I hoped to show you in privacy.” 

“It’s fine.” The words tripped over each other as they tumbled out of Jyn’s mouth. “I want to see. Please. Before we get to Eadu.” 

Lyra nodded and walked over to the comms station. Cassian looked up, clearing a message he had just received. “Course is laid in for Eadu,” he said. 

Lyra nodded. “I suppose you should see this as well. There is some information of strategic value.” Lyra pressed her lips together, obviously trying to hold herself together as she plugged the spike in, and an almost-familiar face sprung up. 

“Papa.” Jyn couldn’t help her gasp. She curled her arms around her elbows, hugging herself as she heard for the first time in thirteen years the voice whose absence had defined her life. 

Galen’s image cleared his throat. “Saw, if you’re receiving this, then there’s a chance. A chance to save the Alliance. A chance to explain myself...though I don’t hope for too much. And perhaps, a chance...Saw, if Lyra is still with you, if you can find her...let her know my love for her has never failed.” 

“And Jyn...my stardust.” Jyn felt something wild and uncontrollable rise in her throat. She choked it down, tightening her hands around her arms as she watched the man struggle to speak, swallowing several times before saying, “I’ve missed you so desperately.” 

The holo-Galen continued, “Lyra, Jyn, I can’t imagine what you must think of me. When I was taken, I selfishly hoped that Krennic would find you. Not because I wanted you in chains...but I missed you so desperately. As time went by, I realized that it was a doomed hope. Lyra, of course you had hidden so well that you would never be discovered.” 

“My Love, I know when we spoke, we promised...we would resist. That no matter the cost, Krennic would not get our help in building the weapon.” 

Galen’s eyes flickered away from the recording, his voice dropping as he said, “I can’t imagine what you must think of me.” His gaze returned to center. “When I was taken, I realized that Krennic was months, maybe a year, two years, from completing the project. He was trying things by brute force, attempting solution after solution, and he had already come so close to getting it right.” 

“So I did the last thing you would have expected, Love. I lied. I guided them down the wrong path. I let them believe that I was a broken man, whose only solace was my work. I let them believe I had forgotten you. That I had forgotten Jyn.” 

“Jyn...Lyra...I think of you only in the moments I am the strongest. The pain of what we’ve lost is overwhelming, even now, and the chance I might fail…so much of my life has been wasted. I didn’t forget you. I never stopped loving you.” 

The fierce and broken emotion inside of Jyn finally fought its way out in a rough sob that burned through her throat. She looked up at Lyra, met her eyes across the ship. Neither of them made any attempt to cross to the other. This place was too public for comfort. 

Galen continued, “Saw, Lyra, I delayed and I misdirected, but I’ve run out of time. I couldn’t pretend any longer. So I’ve laid a trap. Hidden a flaw in the reactor module. One blast to any part of it will destroy the entire station. It is accessible through an exhaust port; you will need the engineering plans to identify which one. I know a complete copy is held in the Imperial Archives on Scarif.

“I’ve done what I can. All that is left is hope. Hope that this message reaches you. I’ve sent it with a pilot.” Out of the corner of her eye, Jyn saw Bodhi startle, leaning toward the message. “If he finds his way to you, know that I trust him. Treat him as well as you are able.” 

Bodhi let out a harsh laugh, clapping his hand over his mouth a moment later. He winced away from the attention, turning toward the bulkhead. The movement served to highlight a burn along his neck, and Jyn realized she didn’t know what Saw had done to the man to make him so hollowed out. 

Jyn’s eyes were dragged back to the holovid player as Galen finished his message. He looked around, leaned slightly closer to wherever the holorecorder was. “Remember. One pressurized explosion to the reactor module. I only hope it was enough. May the Force be with us all.” 

The vid cut off and Jyn made an abortive gesture toward the console. For a long moment the only noise heard on the U-Wing was the rattle and thrum of hyperspace. 

Jyn could see why Lyra had wanted to let Jyn hear the message in private. She felt flayed open, exposed, a bundle of raw emotions spilling out of skin. Her fingers were digging into her elbows, arms held tight around her as she tried to hold herself together. 

The silence stretched and Jyn wanted to scream, wanted to shatter it, but she couldn’t. She felt herself tense, wound up in herself. Someone was going to break the silence, soon and Jyn couldn’t think of any way it could happen gently. It would feel it like a shot, like a string snapping. She waited with dread for the violence of someone else’s words. 

“We’re going to get him,” Lyra said, and Jyn almost broke in relief. It was a promise and a declaration all at once. “We’re going to find him, and we’re going to drag him off Eadu, and he can tell us how to blow the damn thing up himself.” 

Jyn met her eyes, gave a shaky nod, dragging her fingers away from her sides and forcing herself to breathe slowly. 

Lyra moved then, pulling the datastick from the comms console and tucking it away. She turned back and Jyn tensed, still not ready for comfort in a shuttle full of strangers. She had no doubt she’d break down crying in Lyra’s arms at some point, but now wasn’t the time. They were flying into enemy territory and Jyn needed to be sharp.

But Lyra didn’t move toward Jyn. Instead, she moved toward Bodhi, whose head was still tucked against the bulkhead. She crouched down in front of him, taking one of his hands. The pilot tensed, his head slowly pulling away from the wall. He didn’t say anything, just looked at Lyra. 

“Galen trusted you,” Lyra said. 

“So he said.” Bodhi’s tongue darted out over hips lips, and he looked away again. “For all the good that did me.” 

“You’ve had a bad time of things.” 

“No shit,” Bodhi said, fixing her with a level glare. 

Lyra almost smiled at that, something amused showing in the lines around her eyes. “And now I’m dragging you back to Eadu. You know the installation. You can help. Are you up for this?" 

“That’s almost exactly what he said, you know that? ‘You can help.’ I can see why he married you.” The pilot’s head tipped back, hitting the bulkhead. “Yeah. Of course. I’ll help.” 

Lyra squeezed his hand. “Thank you.” She made to let go and stand up again. 

Suddenly, Bodhi’s fingers tightened around hers. She looked back down at him. There was something pleading in the man’s eyes. “He loves you, you know.” Bodhi’s gaze darted over to Jyn. “Both of you. He never forgot you.” 

Jyn leaned forward, slightly. “He told you about us?” 

Bodhi nodded. 

Lyra cleared her throat. “If he wasn’t lying about loving us, he wasn’t lying about trusting you either. I’m glad you’re with us.” 

Something about what Lyra said made Bodhi smile sadly. “That’s good of you to say.” He let go of Lyra’s hand then, struggling to his feet on his own. “I’ll go...discuss the landing approach with the pilots. It’s tricky.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter down! Thank you to all the people that have read and made excited noises at/with me about the story! I really wasn't sure there was an audience for this fic, so it means so much to have you all here *blows a kiss*
> 
> Want to talk more? [I’m on Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sassysnowperson) and [I'm also giving Pillowfort a try!](https://pillowfort.io/sassysnowperson) Come say hi if you're over there.


	4. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Continued thanks to [Aeshna](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeshna/) for the beta (and the general cheerleading needed to get this thing into existence). The fic wouldn't exist without her.

* * *

They jumped out of hyperspace with a rocky jolt, far too close to Eadu’s atmosphere. Bodhi had positioned himself behind the pilot and co-pilot’s seats, his hands braced on the chairs, babbling out directions in quick, nervous bursts. 

The U-Wing flew into a canyon, scraping up the sides. Jyn shared a worried glance with Baze as a horrendous screeching noise echoed through the ship. K-2SO helpfully intoned some dire statistic about their chances of living through the landing. 

Jyn was torn between screaming and laughter, so she remained silent. Keep everything bottled inside, until it could be dispensed appropriately. They were about to go invade an Imperial military installation. Plenty of time to work out emotions then. Someone was going to get punched very hard, sometime soon. 

They did land, somehow, in a shudder of ship tearing apart that just barely managed not to kill any of them. Bodhi was knocked over backward, flying into Jyn and Lyra. He mumbled an apology as he picked himself up again, pushing back towards the cockpit. 

Time to figure out their next move. Jyn and Lyra looked at each other, having done this enough times to not really need words anymore. 

They had landed, hard, ship was done, they’d need an alternate exit route. Pilot was a valuable resource, there, he could help them procure a replacement. Extraction of Galen was the priority, but the opposition’s strength was completely unknown. They’d need to scout. Installation seemed to be settled in rocky terrain, lots of mountains. Good approach. Bad weather, though; exposure was a factor. They needed to figure out what sorts of all-weather gear the U-Wing had. If long-term reconnaissance was a goal, they’d need to secure a shelter spot. 

Cassian shoved his way between them, breaking their eyeline. Jyn watched as he grabbed a parka, and then a sort of poncho-tarp. The latter he threw at Bodhi. “Come on. Rain should keep us hidden down here. You and me, we’re going to the ridge, check things out.” 

Jyn started looking for another jacket. Cassian shook his head. “No, just the two of us for now, keep things quiet. I just want to get an idea what we’re up against.” 

Jyn sighed, opening her mouth to explain that this, before the Empire was alerted to their presence, was the best time to have all stealth-capable people scouting. That would let them hit the facility fast and hard, before the Empire knew what was coming.

But before Jyn could speak, Lyra shifted. Jyn looked over to her mother. At her side, Lyra's hand rested in the “hold” position. Jyn pulled her arguments back inside, and instead said, “Okay. But I don’t like it.” 

“You don’t need to like it. Just stay put.” 

Cassian left the U-Wing, Bodhi trailing after him. After about thirty seconds, Lyra grabbed for a poncho, tossed another at Jyn, and toggled the door open again. 

K-2SO protested. “He just said to stay with the ship.” 

“It’s a bad plan, but arguing would waste too much time,” Lyra said. “Jyn and I are reconnaissance experts. He needs our eyes, now, before the Empire knows we’re here.”

Jyn nodded, securing the poncho. It wouldn’t keep her dry, not with the downpour outside, but it would help. 

K-2SO made a disapproving noise. “Well, if he comes back, we’re leaving without you.” 

“Rude,” Jyn said, smiling over at the droid.

“Reality. I suggest you move quickly.” 

Jyn rolled her eyes as Lyra said, “We will. Come on.” 

Blaster in hand, Jyn followed her mother into the downpour. The rain made tracking nearly impossible, but the route Cassian had likely taken was obvious. Jyn turned, edging towards a different path, to get a new angle but Lyra’s hand on her elbow stopped her. They went up the most likely overlook path together, staying to the side. 

Jyn raised her eyebrows at Lyra. Lyra tugged, insistent, and as they progressed up the ridge Lyra said in a low undertone, “Cassian’s going to try to kill Galen.” 

Jyn nearly dropped her blaster. “What?” she hissed. 

Lyra nodded. “Earlier, he got orders he didn’t like. His rifle was in sniper configuration. When I pulled up the holovid, he was watching more than listening, getting a fix on what Galen looked like. Why do you think he wanted us to stay in the U-Wing?” 

“So,” Jyn said, filled with irritation more than any other, more dramatic, emotion, “now we have to stop an assassination before we get anything done.” 

“Yes.” Lyra echoed her own irritation. 

They hugged the side of the path, getting some shelter from the cliff face. Jyn started pushing a little faster, realizing they’d need to make up ground. 

“Is the pilot involved too?” Jyn asked. That changed the takedown plan. 

“No.” Lyra sounded certain. “He’s not. Likely too exhausted to figure out what’s going on, but he wouldn’t hurt Galen.” 

“What is going on with you and the pilot, anyway?” Jyn asked. “Your body language goes all...strange...around him.” 

Lyra snorted. “As I mentioned, I know his type. Galen has always had a soft spot for beautiful, vulnerable looking men.” 

Jyn stumbled. Lyra couldn’t mean—“When you say soft spot…”

Lyra’s hand was at her back, helping to steady her. “You heard me.” 

“He was unfaithful?” Jyn hated how her voice went thin and high. Her mental image of her father had already been thrown into disarray with Jedha’s destruction. But for some reason this far more personal failing cut deeper.

Lyra smiled, a reassuring hand on Jyn’s shoulder. “No, Darling.” Lyra’s thumb traced over Jyn’s shoulder. “Everything was discussed, decided together, and quite honestly, usually suggested by me. It was good for us.” 

“I never knew…” Jyn was unable to keep the hurt out of her voice. 

“Well, Baby Girl, you were a bit young.” Lyra’s voice was wry, tiny smirk around her lips. “And it hasn’t really come up recently.” 

Jyn was not ready to be mollified. “It’s not like he was able to discuss this one with you.” She gestured angrily up the ridge. 

The smirk faded, replaced by a profoundly sad expression on Lyra’s face. “Exactly. He wasn’t able to. It has been thirteen years, Jyn. I had you. If Galen found someone that brought him some joy, made him feel a little less alone, then I am most firmly in favor.”

“But…” Jyn trailed off, still hurt and confused but not entirely certain what her objection was. 

“If you need to talk about it later, we can. Right now, we have a job to do.” Lyra nudged Jyn back around to face the ridge, gave her a tiny push to get her moving again. 

* * *

They caught up with Cassian and Bodhi, spotting their trudging forms through the rain. Jyn started thinking through the approach with a sense of relief. She might be a complicated tangle of grief and anticipation and confusion and intense embarrassment, but at least she understood ambush stalking. 

Lyra moved across the path and they crept up on the two men. Jyn quietly pushed ahead of the pair, and once she had given Lyra enough time to get in position, she darted out just ahead of Cassian, catching his eye. 

Cassian startled at the sight of her, starting to bring his blaster up. Battle-senses singing, Jyn grabbed the barrel of his blaster and forced it away and, a second later, Lyra slammed into his knees. Cassian went down, Jyn twisting the blaster out of his arms as he fell. She swung the stock around to tuck against her own shoulder, finger on the trigger. 

Cassian wound up sprawled face-first in the mud, Lyra on top of him. Jyn kept the rifle trained just next to him. She might need to shoot him, but she was going to give him a warning shot first. 

As if on cue, Cassian tried to start free and Jyn scored the ground next to his head with a blaster bolt, causing him to flinch and freeze. Lyra, finally convinced of his docility, started securing his hands. Giving up on fighting, Cassian switched to words. He twisted, spitting mud out of his mouth. “What’s going on? I—”

“What the fuck were you thinking?” Jyn snapped, all her frustration finally finding a target in Cassian. “Wandering up a hill without even knowing where your target is? Just hoping he shows up? It’s pissing rain and you still managed to leave tracks! That takes effort! If you’re going to kill someone you need more of a plan than this!”

“He’s trying to kill your father, Darling.” Lyra pointed out as she moved, knee in the center of Cassian’s back to keep him from rising.

“And he’s doing a piss-poor job of it!” 

“Nevertheless, maybe we _don’t_ help him with the logistics?” 

“Um,” said Bodhi. 

Jyn’s eyes flicked up to Bodhi, then back to Cassian, “And you bring along someone _obviously_ compromised by your target!” she continued, undaunted. 

“Er…” said Bodhi, “Target? When you say compromised…”

“I mean apparently _fucking my father_ ,” Jyn snarled.

Cassian jerked in Lyra’s hold, whether in reaction to Jyn’s words or as an attempt to break free, Jyn wasn’t sure. She waved her blaster in warning. Lyra, tightening her grip on Cassian, smiled up at Bodhi. “Which we’re not mad about, Dear.” 

“I’m mad.” Jyn flattened her lips.

“Um.” 

“Which is her problem and she’ll figure it out.” 

“Nobody needs to die today!” a new voice broke in. The two Guardians came up the hill, Chirrut looking deceptively frail as he leaned on his staff, Baze lumbering behind him. 

Lyra looked down the hill and shook her head. “Oh, somebody’s dying. But don’t worry, as long as he refrains from doing something monumentally stupid, it’s not going to be Captain Andor.” 

Cassian twitched. 

“And who is going to die instead?” Chirrut asked, slightly amused. 

“The man who stole my husband. The motherfucker who would have been Captain Andor’s target if the Rebellion knew the players. Orson Krennic.” 

“We don’t know where Krennic is—” Cassian tried to say. Jyn could respect the way he kept trying to take control of the situation. He was failing, but she admired his spirit. 

“Shuttle flew overhead not that long ago,” Lyra said, cutting him off.

“You don’t know it’s—” Cassian started. 

At the same time, Bodhi said, “ST-149.”

“I’ll take your word for it.” Lyra gave Bodhi a slight smile, “What I know is that that is Krennic’s preferred shuttle. And if you’re going to try to keep me from taking a shot at the bastard that broke my family, I have bad news for you about the way this evening is going to go.” 

Chirrut shook his head. “The Force moves darkly around those who are about to kill, but it seems as though you’re well accustomed to darkness at this point.”

“I don’t think it’s darkness. It’s a clarity of purpose. I’m going to get my husband back—alive,” Lyra dug her knee into Cassian’s back to punctuate the word, “and I’m going to kill the piece of shit that stole him in the first place.” 

“Clarity of purpose, indeed. I’ll stick with you, then. Baze, would you take Captain Andor and Mr. Rook to go steal us a shuttle? Make certain Captain Andor collects his robotic friend on the way.” Chirrut smiled over at Lyra. “No offense to you, Lyra, but I don’t trust you with Cassian’s continued existence.” 

Lyra paused, considering. “That’ll work.” She backed up off of Cassian and dragged him to standing. She let Cassian get almost settled on his feet before she shoved him over to Baze. Baze caught him and steadied him. Cassian, soggy and muddied, glared at Lyra. 

Jyn pointed the blaster in Bodhi’s direction. “You’re with them.”

Lyra snapped, “Blaster _down_.” 

Jyn dropped the barrel, still frustrated, she and Lyra glaring at each other for a moment. Jyn looked away first. By the time Jyn looked back up, the pilot had slunk behind Lyra and was heading toward Baze and Cassian. Lyra turned, catching his arm. The pilot flinched away from her. 

Jyn understood what was going on with his body language now. He had known Galen was married. Guilty. That still didn’t explain Lyra’s approach, her body language holding a softness that Jyn had seen only very rarely. Jyn couldn’t understand why Lyra would spend her rare moments of gentleness on an interloper. 

Eventually, the group headed on their way. Lyra turned and headed back toward Jyn along with Chirrut. Jyn opened her mouth to say something and Lyra fixed her with a look.

“What was that?” Lyra said, grabbing the blaster out of Jyn’s hands.

“I don’t see how you can be so kind to someone who—”

“Who watched their city die?” Lyra stopped, taking a breath. She turned to Chirrut. “Apologies. I know he wasn’t the only one.” 

Chirrut sighed. “It is rare that I think of my loss of sight as a gift, but in this case...that is an image I am glad not to have on my mind. But that is not, I think, your primary reason to be gentle with that young man.” 

“You’re probably right.” Lyra ran her fingers through her now-soaked hair. “Galen and Saw are the two most important men in my life. Between the two of them, they’ve managed to fuck that pilot up quite badly. I feel responsible. I didn’t know either of them could turn out that ruthless.” 

Lyra's fire had faded into sadness, a vulnerability showing around her eyes. Jyn hated the look. Lyra stood between her and the world, and the idea that her shield was fragile was terrifying. 

Lyra’s eyes went dark and shone with unshed tears. “I don’t know the man that could help craft the machine that destroyed Jedha.” Lyra’s voice cracked and she paused, looking down at the blaster in her hands and adjusting the settings. After a minute, she continued, voice stronger. “That destruction...it wasn’t a part of the Galen I knew. But Bodhi, him being here, with the message...it’s hope that Galen’s still in there.” 

“But...he just forgot about us? Moved on? Didn’t want to have to worry about being a father anymore?” Jyn couldn’t quite keep the heartbreak out of her voice.

Lyra looked up at Jyn. “Baby Girl, that man was the happiest he had ever been when he found out I was pregnant with you. There was nothing Galen wanted more than to be your father. The fact that you had to grow up without him is something…” Lyra’s voice grew rough, “Something I have a great deal of trouble forgiving the Force for.” 

Chirrut made an understanding noise. “We are one with the Force...but I would really like to give it a piece of my mind from time to time.” 

Lyra laughed, a clipped chuckle through the emotion. “Agreed.” She looked over at Jyn again. “None of that is the the pilot’s fault. And he seems...kind. And fierce in his own way. I...I want to believe that’s not just convenience. That Galen still values these things.” 

Jyn took a breath, trying to let her confusion and anger go as she exhaled. “Okay. Well…let’s go get him out of here. See for ourselves.” 

Jyn turned, and she, Chirrut, and Lyra continued up the mountainside.

* * *

Jyn stumbled and slid down the rock face. Laser-fire scored the ground and a charred ozone smell erupted around her. Jyn kept her head down and kept running, needing to get to the ladder, needing to get to the platform. 

Damn Cassian. He should have told them he had called in a bombing run. 

From the ridge they had seen it, Krennic and Galen greeting each other. Galen was _there_ , a shaky figure through her macrobinoculars, getting ready to speak with Krennic. Krennic, who had swanned out of his shuttle, Jyn’s childhood boogieman made flesh.

It was amazing and terrible and then they heard the sound of X-Wing engines.

Lyra had taken a quick shot at Krennic and _missed_ , the guard next to him dropping. The guards had formed a defensive knot around Krennic, their attention pointed at the hill. The heartbreak of that shot was short-lived, because then the X-Wings came.

As fire and light covered the platform, Jyn had flown over the ridge, ignoring her mother’s reflexive protest. She was now careening down the mountain faster than was safe, with a determined Chirrut somehow keeping pace behind her. She stumbled the last few metres and nearly slammed into an access ladder, taking the rungs two at a time as she scrambled up it. She was more vulnerable than she would like, but it was the only way to get to Galen. 

Chirrut hadn’t followed her up the ladder. Jyn wasn’t certain why he would follow her over the ridge but fail to chase her up the ladder. She didn’t have time to question it, though. There was only time to climb. 

Suddenly, the roar of the X-Wings was joined by the haunting scream of a TIE fighter. Their dogfight came howling past the ladder, too-close strafing fire blooming heat against her skin. Jyn flinched away from the fire, clinging to the ladder, heart pounding as she realized again just how exposed she was, no cover and no plan beyond ‘get up the ladder’. 

It was not the best idea she had ever had. But Jyn was driven by need now, not logic. Finding Galen had been the goal that defined her life. She couldn’t fail now. They were so _close_. She would do what it took to finish the climb. 

Jyn braced to start up the ladder again, trying to figure out how far she could get before the snubfighters circled around again. As she watched the field, she noticed Chirrut fiddling with something at the base of the ladder, his staff unfolding into a massive blowcaster. She looked up and realized she had missed her chance to get further up the ladder - the TIE and X-Wing had turned and were heading back to her position. Jyn wound her arms around the ladder and turned her attention back to Chirrut. 

Chirrut carefully lined up a shot by...sound? Surely that was impossible. The rain and thunder and battle noise had to be overwhelming. But Chirrut didn’t seem to know that as he tracked the TIE fighter across the sky, and then his bow glowed, light arcing across the field. The TIE exploded. Jyn, even as she was struck again by gratitude that Chirrut was on _their_ side, turned back to the ladder. In the momentary lull of the battle, and realizing she had at least some support, she threw herself back into climbing. 

She reached the top, peering carefully over the top of the landing platform as she tried to figure out the next step. She needed to find Galen. Find her father. And then, somehow, they had to get off this planet again. 

Jyn pushed aside the complicated questions of wars and weapons and vulnerable-looking pilots. Right now, those things were nothing but distractions. There was only now, the flow of the fighters, safety and danger. Her world narrowed to this: Galen, shuttle, get off Eadu. 

The landing platform was a mess, scientists and soldiers running in every direction. At the edge of the platform she saw Krennic’s shuttle taking off. Jyn stayed hidden behind the access panel a little longer. There’d be time to hunt down Krennic later. Maybe the X-Wings would actually prove useful and shoot him down. As Krennic’s shuttle jumped for atmosphere, Jyn looked around, trying to figure out where the scientists had gone. 

Then she saw _him_ , huddled in the awning of a doorway, looking at her in disbelief. Familiar eyes, his mouth falling open as he saw her. For a long moment, they just stared at each other.

Jyn shook her head, pulling herself together and watching the sky. She waited, found an opening, then threw herself on the platform, sprinting across the open ground. Galen’s eyes widened, his head shook a little, hands saying ‘stay back.’ Jyn turned she realized there was a squad of stormtroopers waiting, and she had just set herself up as an easy target. 

The only way out was through, and Jyn poured on speed, every muscle in her body honed for this moment, this frantic dash across a slick platform, blaster fire chasing at her heels. Jyn hit a puddle and felt herself wobble, a split-second decision causing her to throw herself into a slide that carried her across the open doorway. As she cleared the other side she spun, fumbling for her small blaster, determined to do what she could to take out the squad as they rounded the corner.

The first trooper turned the corner and, before Jyn could get a shot off, angry green laser fire caught the trooper across the chest. It was followed by another shot, and another, and Jyn turned slowly in amazement to see a Zeta-class shuttle hovering over the landing platform, raining down death on the stormtrooper squad. 

The shuttle ramp ramp dropped open and Cassian jumped out, racing over to her. “Jyn! Are you okay?”

He actually sounded concerned. Strange, from someone whose blaster she had stolen not that long ago. Cassian’s eyes flicked up and over her shoulder, then widened. Jyn stepped back and out of his arm’s reach, a glance over her shoulder confirming that Galen had emerged from his awning. 

She put herself between him and Cassian, blaster pistol in a loose, wary hold. Around the three of them, chaos reigned. Ships fought each other, rain cascaded down, and Jyn was certain that more troopers were waiting. But for a moment, the battlefield narrowed to this: her watching Cassian and Cassian watching in return.

Cassian held his palms out, unarmed. “The mission has changed, I understand that.” He took a step forward.

“Stay back!” Jyn shouted at him. 

Cassian looked frustrated, eyes darting sideways to track the sky. “Jyn. I’m not going to hurt him. But we need to get out of here.” 

Jyn nodded, slowly, holstering her pistol before, with a strange reluctance, turning to find her father. Galen stood behind her, looking at her with exhausted eyes. 

“Stardust,” he said, and Jyn felt her world shatter. 

She reached for him, he reached for her, and holding each other they made their way to the shuttle. The next few moments passed in a blur. Cassian was a presence at their backs, Baze there next to them. Somewhere in all of that Chirrut had cleared the top of the platform and raced over to the shuttle himself, Baze helping him in. 

Jyn stepped into the shuttle and realized that while K-2SO was an expected presence in the co-pilot chair, the pilot seat was held by Bodhi. He looked surprisingly calm with his hands on the yoke, thumbs brushing the weapon controls, the shuttle steady despite the kicking atmospherics. He looked up and saw them, relief and elation clear on his face. 

“Bodhi,” Galen said, sounding overwhelmed. 

The warmth dropped off of Bodhi’s face, replaced with a mask of professionalism. “Strap in. We’ve got one more stop before we’re out of here.” 

Jyn and her father made their way over to the seats; his hands shaking around her shoulders. With a jolt, the shuttle launched again, ramp sliding closed as they went. Jyn turned, and through watery eyes she saw her Papa looking back at her. 

His hand brushed across her face. “Oh, Jyn, my Stardust. I never thought I’d see you again. Look at you.” 

Jyn reached up her hand and took his. She closed her eyes and felt the tears spill over. She felt his forehead touch hers, heard him whisper softly, “I love you.”

They were jolted apart again when the shuttle abruptly slowed to a stop, the ramp lowering to reveal a cliffside ridge. Galen startled as a dripping figure leapt onto the shuttle and the ramp started to raise again behind her. He pulled away from Jyn, one hand sliding to rest on her shoulder, one hand palm up in supplication as he recognized the cloaked figure. 

The rain gear dropped away, and there was Lyra. She stepped forward, a slight smile on her face. Slowly, deliberately, she raised her own trembling hand, and placed it inside Galen’s. 

“Lyra,” Galen’s voice was rough. He tugged her forward, disbelief still clear on his face, and Lyra fell against him. Their hands separated, Galen’s going to the small of her back, hers resting on the back of his neck. 

They kissed, once, brief for how long they’d been apart. Their passion wasn’t carried in the kiss, it was confined too tightly inside them both, bound up by circumstance and necessity. Nevertheless, it found its way out, carried in the way their fingers flexed, in the way they leaned toward each other, in the way that nothing could distract from their fixation on each other. 

Then Jyn felt her mother’s hand join her father’s on her shoulders, and something snapped into place. Their family was whole. 

The shuttle shuddered to hyperspace, carrying them to an uncertain future. But Jyn had her father at her side and her mother in front of her, and whatever they faced, they faced it together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of the Rogue One rewrite. I hope you have enjoyed it! 
> 
> There is more in this universe, as the Rebellion has to figure out how they deal with a very controversial family. And there's still a Death Star out there that needs handling. But that will come later, we're going to rest here and give our family some time to recover. 
> 
> The continuation will be in new fics (already written, still being edited), but I've added this fic to a series, subscribe to the series for future alerts. 
> 
> Want to talk to me about the fic? [I’m on Tumblr,](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/sassysnowperson) and [I'm also giving Pillowfort a try!](https://pillowfort.io/sassysnowperson) Come say hi if you're over there. Or, you know, the tried and true comment :D


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